INFORMATION FOR INDEPENDENT TRAVEL AGENTS OUR DIFFERENCE MEMBER SERVICES & BENEFITS AWARDS & RECOGNITION SENIOR MANAGEMENT GROUP STATE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS TESTIMONIALS HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER
AN INVITATION FROM MANAGING DIRECTOR, CHRISTIAN HUNTER Travellers Choice is a national retail travel group with a unique difference its independent member travel agencies own it! Together with our member agents we act cooperatively to achieve mutual business success. Our members enjoy the benefits of remaining independent business operators, while profiting from access to our group purchasing power, specialised marketing programs and range of business services. Travellers Choice has been operating since 1977 and represents travel agents across Australia. Diversity is as much a hallmark of our group as independence, and our member agents represent many different agency models. With four decades of profitable operations, Travellers Choice has developed an enviable reputation in the travel industry for its professionalism and reliability. Our longevity in the market is indicative of member satisfaction and our credibility with consumers. OUR DIFFERENCE Travellers Choice is a leading Australian travel company that represents independent travel agents and provides financial rewards based on support and shareholding. Travellers Choice member agents are the only shareholders of our company. Members own the business and benefit from its success, and retain control of company processes through equal voting rights and the opportunity to participate in decisions affecting the company. Our personalised approach to the needs of our members differentiates us from others in the field. Travellers Choice operates on cooperative principles to provide services focused on member needs. Profits are returned to member agents as dividends, rebates or improved services. The company is governed by a Board of Directors who provide a range of skills and experience, with majority representation held by member shareholders. Travellers Choice is part of the Worldwide Independent Travel Network (WIN), a global network of independent travel groups representing over 6000 travel agents. Travellers Choice is controlled by its member shareholders through a Board of Directors, of which, member-elected Directors hold the majority. This ensures complete business transparency and accountability to the member shareholders. I invite you to consider the value proposition that Travellers Choice can provide to your travel agency. Christian Hunter Managing Director OUR VALUES We focus on the customer We work as a team We are driven by results OUR PURPOSE To be a leading Australian travel company that represents independent travel agents and provides financial rewards based on support and shareholding. TRAVELLERS CHOICE INFORMATION 3
MEMBER SERVICES & BENEFITS Travellers Choice members enjoy the benefits of remaining independent business operators while receiving professional support and access to our range of specialist services. SERVICES Extensive preferred supplier portfolio and competitive commission arrangements Distribution of supplier overrides through annual trading rebates Distribution of operating profit Comprehensive national, state-based and local area marketing services Access to company Senior Management Group in conjunction with your State Business Development Manager Access to corporate office resources Fully funded group membership of AFTA Fully funded group membership of ATAS Annual conference and shareholder meetings State-based networking events and national online member forum Best practice business planning and documentation Human resources support and documentation Industry training events and elearning library BENEFITS Additional income to member agents Additional income to member agents Additional income dividends Incremental sales and income potential, enhanced agency profile Assistance with sales support and marketing development Professional support and advice Access to all AFTA services and benefits Consumer credibility and trade partner access Company performance updates, business development and networking opportunities Connect with other members to access support, advice and training, develop relationships Visual road maps to achieve business goals Meet OH&S obligations and comply with Federal and State legislation Access to preferred partner product, destination and system training tools AWARDS & RECOGNITION Travellers Choice has an awards program which recognises the many ways in which members contribute to the group. Choice Awards The Choice Awards recognise and reward those members who make the greatest financial contribution to Travellers Choice through their preferred supplier sales. The program recognises the top 30 agents as Gold, Silver or Bronze Choice Award winners based on financial results achieved during the last complete financial year. Winners receive a range of benefits including an invitation to attend an exclusive reward trip, and exclusive opportunities to benefit from incentives and local area marketing services grants. Brian Pateman Agency Award for Excellence This award recognises an agency member committed to the achievement of excellence across a range of criteria that support the culture and values of Travellers Choice and which enable all members to qualify, irrespective of agency size and membership duration. These include preferred supplier sales, attendance at events, involvement in local area and discretionary marketing, general positive attitude towards membership and support of fellow members. The award is named for Brian Pateman, a founding member of the group who owned Walkabout Travel in the 1980-90 s in Perth, and who championed providing excellence in customer service. Top Performing Agent Awards Selected preferred suppliers nominate one Travellers Choice agency to receive the Top Performing Agent Award based on the agent s support in any of sales volume, year on year percentage sales growth, local area sales development initiatives, product knowledge, staff/agency professionalism and function participation and involvement. Encouragement Award This award recognises a smaller agency member who has shown significant support and demonstrated growth in preferred supplier selling. Service Awards The Service Awards recognise agency membership tenure of the group and Travellers Choice staff employment longevity. They are awarded in recognition of 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years of service. GOLD Choice Award BRIAN PATEMAN -AGENCY AWARD FOR- Excellence ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD Qantas Club corporate scheme Additional income to member agents and reduced rates for clients TRAVELLERS CHOICE INFORMATION 5
SENIOR MANAGEMENT GROUP The Travellers Choice Senior Management Group contains experienced and professional people who lead a team of dedicated corporate office personnel based in Perth, Western Australia. Christian Hunter Managing Director Christian has worked in the UK and Australian travel industries for more than 20 years. He has extensive experience in the travel agency sector, holds a Bachelor of Commerce and is also a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). Christian joined Travellers Choice in a finance role in 2004 and held several positions, including General Manager, before being appointed as CEO in 2012. Additionally, he is a Director of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA). Robyn Mitchell General Manager - Marketing Robyn has post-graduate qualifications in marketing and public relations and provided marketing services to Perth-based companies before joining the Travellers Choice marketing department in 2006. In, she was appointed as General Manager Marketing and leads a team responsible for delivering a broad portfolio of marketing services. Nicola Strudwick General Manager - Sales Nicola has more than 20 years travel industry experience including key roles with some of the industry s leading wholesale, airline consolidation and tour operator companies, as well as over a decade in retail with Thomas Cook. Appointed as General Manager Sales in, Nicola joined Travellers Choice from Helloworld, where she held the position of Regional Sales Manager (Western Australia/Northern Territory) for Qantas Holidays, Viva! Holidays, Rail Tickets, ReadyRooms and The Cruise Team. STATE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS The Travellers Choice team of Business Development Managers is dedicated, enthusiastic and highly experienced. Melissa Robertson BDM Western Australia Tel 0426 226 795 Email mrobertson@travellerschoice.com.au Melissa has worked in travel since 2000 as a corporate consultant as well as in customer service and sales roles with Trafalgar and Insight Vacations. She has been with Travellers Choice since 2012. Kim Tomlinson BDM Queensland & Northern New South Wales Tel 0408 677 345 Email ktomlinson@travellerschoice.com.au Kim s industry experience spans four decades and encompasses 21 years of management roles with Qantas, Travelscene American Express and Emirates. He joined Travellers Choice in 2015. Andrea (AJ) Moore BDM South Australia & Northern Territory Tel 0408 812 599 Email ajmoore@travellerschoice.com.au AJ s career in travel spans 25 years. After managing the Harrods travel department, she also held roles with Top Deck Travel and Jakarta s Pacific Travel before joining Travellers Choice in 2001. Graham Smith BDM Victoria & Tasmania Tel 0408 404 633 Email gsmith@travellerschoice.com.au Graham joined Travellers Choice in 2014 after working for Cover-More Travel Insurance for 10 years. He has a strong sales background including retail travel consulting experience. Justin Michael General Manager - Finance & Administration Justin is a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) with extensive financial, commercial and industry knowledge. He has worked in public practice, with SkyWest, and for 18 years with Flight Centre where he held positions including General Manager Finance for WA/SA/NT, General Manager Foreign Currency Operations, State Manager Western Australia, and Financial Controller for North America based out of Vancouver. Justin joined Travellers Choice in as General Manager Finance & Administration. TRAVELLERS CHOICE INFORMATION 7
TESTIMONIALS Denise Falsay Discover Travel & Cruise Queensland I joined Travellers Choice in 2009 after 17 years with a franchise group. I wanted to be in control of my own destiny. I was seeking a group that offered flexibility, support and financial benefits and Travellers Choice offered this and more. The efficiency of the Travellers Choice head office team is second to none, the marketing initiatives that they have implemented has allowed my team to focus on selling travel, while Travellers Choice takes care of the rest. Michelle Shea City Beach Travel & Cruise Western Australia We truly value the guidance and assistance Travellers Choice gives us, whilst we maintain our independence as City Beach Travel & Cruise. We have received considerable support in the areas of local area marketing and database management, which has been essential to the ongoing success of our business. Travellers Choice is like a family to us and we have made many long-standing friendships over our 23 years of membership. Brian Bennett Travel and Cruise Professionals South Australia We joined Travellers Choice due to their transparency and wide range of preferred suppliers. Due to the skills, integrity and leadership Travellers Choice provides, we consistently receive excellent returns. Our local BDM provides wonderful support and assistance in developing our business. We feel like we are part of a big family with Travellers Choice, with members always willing to assist and help each other. Carol Evans Bay Travel & Cruise Victoria As one of the first ten agents in Victoria to join Travellers Choice, it was certainly the right choice for us. I love the culture of the group and its aptitude to share ideas as a collective, working together to grow and achieve results in order to benefit every member of Travellers Choice. We are particularly fortunate to have a great management team at head office and I cannot say enough about the wonderful support our agency receives from the marketing team. TESTIMONIALS Maria Slater Maria Slater Travel Australian Capital Territory I have been in the industry almost 40 years and started my own agency in 2004. I wanted to be part of a group that was small enough to care and large enough to benefit from all aspects of the travel industry. Travellers Choice was the right fit and over the years has proven to be successful and beneficial to my business, in particular as a result of the relationships formed with key people in head office. Mark Brady Cruise & Travel New South Wales With Travellers Choice, I have access to the industry s best preferred supplier agreements, creative marketing team, a professional BDM, dynamic Senior Management Group, and as a member shareholder I also benefit financially from any Travellers Choice yearly surplus. I joined the group after 15 years operating under a franchise, although I was not unhappy, I felt it was time to have more control of my own business future. If you see yourself in this position, the hardest move is that first step, then you won t look back. We are committed to providing our customers with choice and value by offering a wide range of products and services to enable them to grow and succeed in business. We will do this by: Listening to our customers and understanding their needs; Being genuine in what we do; Being available to help our customers achieve their goals through personal contact; and Providing expert support. Together, our unique partnership will deliver rewarding experiences for our customers. TRAVELLERS CHOICE INFORMATION 9
HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER Membership of Travellers Choice requires approval by the Board of Directors. Application forms, supporting documents and fee payments described below are required before any consideration can be made. For additional information regarding the purchase of shares, please view the investor offer information statement on www.travellerschoice.com.au. 1. Completed application forms for: Membership Share purchase 2. Payment of membership fees: Joining fee of $1,000 inclusive of GST Annual fee of $ inclusive of GST (prorated depending on date of application) 3. Copies of the following documents: Business name registration (shares will be issued in business name as per ASIC / ATAS certificate) ATAS Accreditation Certificate Current Professional Indemnity insurance policy Resignation letter from previous agency group (if applicable) Signed membership agreement THE LEADING NETWORK OF INDEPENDENT TRAVEL AGENTS 1977-2017 1977 Six WA travel agents create Community Co-operative Travel. The agents hail from different cultural backgrounds and enjoy strong ties to different national carriers, allowing them to sub-consolidate to each other. 1995 With 35 members in WA, the retail travel network now known as Community Travel Group (CTG) is the largest in the state. 1996 CTG joins Travel Agent Cooperative VIC and NSW to form a national buying group, Australian Travel Agent Cooperative (ATAC). Within a year CTG withdraws from ATAC, sets its sites on becoming a national network and begins expanding into ACT, NSW, SA and VIC. 2006 Travellers Choice becomes a public unlisted company with members the only permitted shareholders. It also unveils one of the retail sector s first dedicated cruise clubs. 2011 A unique website solution, Site Builder, sets an industry benchmark by enabling members to offer their own customised websites supported by centrallyloaded products. 2012 2001 CTG is renamed Travellers Choice and introduces marketing activities to support its new national brand. The network expands into QLD as total membership exceeds 100. 2007 The Choice Awards are introduced, establishing a platform on which members who make the greatest contribution to the company through preferred supplier sales are recognised and rewarded. Travellers Choice funds membership of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) for all members. 2014 The group becomes the first national retail travel network to fund the full cost of participation for members in the newly-launched AFTA Travel Accreditation Scheme (ATAS). 2015 Travellers Choice is crowned Australia s Best Travel Agency Group at the National Travel Industry Awards. The company declares its 39th consecutive pre-tax operating profit, 95% of which is once again returned to members. At the same time it releases TC Hub, a next generation extranet solution featuring a novel tool allowing members to directly compare preferred suppliers offerings. A ground-breaking initiative, Digital Managed Services, is also unveiled offering members support in key online business activities such as SEO, SEM and social media 2017 Travellers Choice celebrates 40 years as the leading network in Australia for independent travel agents. TRAVELLERS CHOICE INFORMATION 11
Ground Floor 130 Royal Street East Perth Western Australia 6004 1800 246 331 travellerschoice.com.au/agents ABN: 59 138 565 067 ATAS Accreditation Number: A10430 Find us on /TravellersChoice @TravChoiceAU @travellerschoice_ company/travellers-choice